


Almost Too Late

by agoldengalaxy



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Anakin and Padmé raise Luke and Leia, Brothers, Gen, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23607955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoldengalaxy/pseuds/agoldengalaxy
Summary: After a mission that leaves Obi-Wan injured, Anakin reflects on what happened, waiting for his master to wake.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Kudos: 44





	Almost Too Late

**Author's Note:**

> I JUST WANT THE PREQUEL TRIO TO BE HAPPY  
> but to get there we start with angst :)
> 
> kudos/comments always appreciated!

Anakin never liked the medical wing.

He’d ended up there a couple of times, of course; when he lost his hand, and when a blaster shot grazed his leg. But it was never a nice place to be.

Sure, the droids were always gentle. But it was always...too quiet. Too white.

He never liked it. And that was even more true now.

As many times as Anakin had had to come to Obi-Wan’s aid during a fight, it had never been like this. Because his master was resilient. He always bounced back. If he was knocked unconscious, he’d awaken again when there was danger. He was Obi-Wan. He’d always get back up.

But this time it hadn’t happened that way. They’d been separated on Hoth while fighting off some leftover separatists. When night fell, Anakin had taken shelter in a nearby cave, though he didn’t sleep; his communicator was broken and he hadn’t had any way of contacting his master or anyone else on the Council.

As soon as the sun began peeking over the snow, Anakin had set out in search of Obi-Wan, hoping the other had found shelter. It was by chance that he noticed a left-behind blaster in the snow, and not too far ahead was Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan was lying face down, little spots of dark blood splattered around him. There wasn’t any way to truly tell if it was his, but the more pressing issue was that his skin was tinged with blue.

There had been a faint pulse, and that was all Anakin had to go on. He’d covered his master in both robes and any fabric he had - because Obi-Wan’s warmth was more important than his own - and picked him up to take him back to the cave. That was when he finally got a message out to the Council using Obi-Wan’s communicator, and they were saved.

Anakin shook out of his thoughts, running a hand over his face. The droids had told him that even if it were just a few minutes more, Obi-Wan would not have made it. Not only did he have extreme hypothermia, but one of the separatists had managed to break three of his ribs somehow before he’d fallen unconscious.

The droids now, though, assured Anakin that his master would fully recover so long as he got the rest he needed and took it easy for a little while.

Anakin let out a soft breath as he let his gaze shift back towards Obi-Wan. He was still quite pale, though the droids assured Anakin that his temperature was slowly rising and returning to normal. He was clammy and his face was mostly relaxed despite the seemingly permanent furrowed brows.

Obi-Wan hadn’t moved at all since Anakin found him in the snow - except for when the droids were tending to him. He’d been restless, like he knew something was wrong and he should be conscious. But it was an uphill fight. The only thing that Obi-Wan could manage were incoherent mumbles as the droids placed warm cloths on his forehead, the only of which that could be made out was a quiet, troubled, “Anakin.” Soon after, he fell silent and fully unconscious again.

The younger man reached forward, adjusting the other’s blankets gently, before leaning back and resting a hand against his chin. The few times Anakin had found himself waking up in a hospital bed, Obi-Wan had been by his side. If anything, he was glad to be there for him now.

And he was grateful that it hadn’t ended up worse. He wasn’t sure what he would do if he had been too late.   
  


Anakin was so deep in thought that he almost missed the soft groan. Almost.

Blinking, he leaned forward on his elbows, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips as Obi-Wan struggled to wake up. He could sense his anxiety of not knowing where he was; if it was safe.

“It’s alright, Master,” he murmured softly, hoping to calm him. “You’re alright. I’m right here.”

Obi-Wan’s lips parted for a moment, as if he were going to try to speak, but no sound came out. He closed his mouth, swallowed hard, and his eyes slowly opened. Blinking in the light, he turned his head to look, a slow, lazy smile finding its way onto his face. “Anakin,” he croaked, relieved, then immediately frowned. Perhaps he could sense the worry. “What happened?”

Folding his hands together, Anakin smiled. “I saved your skin again, old man,” he replied, though instead of the taunting tone as usual, he chose a more simple, quiet one. He’d get to tease Obi-Wan about this one day, but for right now, he wanted to make sure he was truly alright. “How are you feeling?”

A quiet, raspy laugh escaped Obi-Wan as he glanced up at the ceiling. “I should have known.” Slowly, his gaze returned to the other. Anakin couldn’t help but notice how tired those familiar blue eyes were. He wondered how long it had been since he slept before this. “...A mix of warm and cold,” he answered honestly, looking a bit confused, “and sort of like a Bantha ran me over.”

It was Anakin’s turn to laugh then. It wasn’t often that Obi-Wan joked, but he always enjoyed his humor. He’d missed it. ”You’re gonna need to stay in here for a little while and rest. It...was worse than a Bantha.” He held Obi-Wan’s gaze for a few moments, then dropped it, looking at the floor. “You have severe hypothermia, Obi-Wan. And three broken ribs. If we hadn’t been separated, this wouldn’t have happened. I apologize for acting before thinking again.”

Obi-Wan seemed surprised at first, but that slowly melted away from his expression. “Oh, Anakin, I do not blame you. Any chance for us to be rid of the separatists should have been taken.” Anakin was...surprised. He’d expected to be scolded, as normal, but as he looked up he was met with his master’s kind gaze. “Besides, I ought to know better by now. I suppose cold planets are not my forte. I hadn’t taken into account how cold it would be once the sun set.” He smiled again, eyes crinkling. “And you saved me. Again. Thank you.”

For some reason, Anakin felt a lump form in his throat. He scooted his chair closer, resting a warm hand on Obi-Wan’s cold one. “Master, if I had been a minute later, you would have died.”

Obi-Wan was quiet for a moment, glancing at their hands before looking back up again. “But you weren’t. And I’m alright; as always, thanks to you, my young padawan.”

Anakin bowed his head. He knew better than to argue further, because he knew Obi-Wan would not have any of it. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he murmured softly, letting go of the other’s hand to rest his elbows on his knees again.

“And I’m glad you’re okay,” Obi-Wan returned with another smile, shifting a little. “So, a few days, hm? I suppose I’ll have to get used to all this...white. The medical wing could really use some color.”

Anakin smiled, opening his mouth to reply, but a voice from behind him spoke instead. “I think we can help with that.”

“Daddy! Uncle Obi-Wan!” Turning, Anakin looked over his shoulder at the familiar voices. Padmé stood against the doorframe with her kind smile as usual, Luke on her hip and Leia holding her leg. But upon seeing Anakin’s face, the five-year-old pulled away from Padmé and ran to Anakin.

“Hey, princess!” he greeted with a large grin, picking her up carefully to set on his lap while she giggled, though her face quickly turned quizzical as she looked at Obi-Wan.

“Hello, Leia,” he said gently, giving her a warm smile, then his gaze lifted to meet her mother’s. “Padmé. Luke. It’s great to see you three, as usual.”

Padmé walked over to press a kiss to the top of Anakin’s head, and his smile only grew. Luke, however, looked nervous, but he grunted to be let down, to which his mother allowed. The boy stepped up to stand beside Anakin, grasping some fabric of his robes in his little fist. “Are you okay, Uncle Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin, then back to Luke, smiling reassuringly. “Not to worry, Luke. It only hurts a little. I’ll be back to normal in no time.”

The twins seemed reassured by that, and Anakin let Leia down to stand beside her brother, where they both stood near the cot. “I’m glad you’re okay!” Leia exclaimed happily. “Mama told us we could try and make you feel better.”

Anakin glanced at Padmé, who grinned, before making eye contact with Obi-Wan. The older blinked, then looked back at the twins with another smile. “You’ve already made me feel better by visiting,” he replied, and the kids exchanged an excited look, then looked up to Anakin expectantly.

He chuckled. How he could love anyone this much, he had no idea. But these children were his whole world. He scooped both of them up to sit beside each other on his lap, while Padmé took a seat gingerly on the edge of the cot. “How are you feeling, Obi-Wan?”

“Ah, better by the minute,” he replied, winking at Anakin, who rolled his eyes. Of course. But it was better not to make the twins upset. Something seemed to occur to Obi-Wan then, and a smile spread across his face as he looked at the children. “How was your training today, you two?”

Their eyes both brightened and they perked up. “So much fun!” Luke exclaimed excitedly.

“Yeah! Master Yoda says we’re doing really well,” Leia answered proudly. “We really focused today.”

Anakin ruffled Luke’s hair, then kissed Leia’s head. “That’s wonderful. I’m so proud of you both! I’m sorry we couldn’t be there today.”

“Indeed, you should be quite honored. Master Yoda doesn’t often give out too many compliments,” Obi-Wan added, chuckling. 

While they continued to make small talk, Anakin looked around the medical wing. It was the most lively it had ever been, filled with all the people he cared about most in the world.

And despite the circumstances, perhaps, he was grateful for moments like these.


End file.
